But he’s also the son of the world’s most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal’s point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo’s Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

Rating

5 out of 5

My Thoughts

I don’t know about you guys, but growing up what I chose to read was largely influenced by what my mother read. My mother read mysteries and suspense novels (well, actually, she still does), so when I was in high school and early college, I read mystery after mystery. I Hunt Killers, a suspense for teens, immediately piqued my interest, and has been on my TBR list (seriously, what book hasn’t?) since I first heard of it. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a suspenseful novel like I Hunt Killers, but this book reminded me why I love suspenseful books so much!

I Hunt Killers focuses on Jasper (Jazz) Dent, the son of notorious serial killer Billy Dent. And Billy was one successful serial killer, with a total of kills reaching into the triple digits! For most of Jazz’s life, until he was around 13, his father was training him to become a serial killer. Jazz was practically brainwashed, and his childhood was, as you can imagine, pretty brutal. He’s seen things as a child, that almost no one else has. Billy was finally caught, and sent to prison, when Jazz was 13, but now, as a 17 year old, Jazz is terrified that he will end up like his father.

That was something that I found incredibly intriguing about I Hunt Killers; Jazz’s fear of becoming like his father. This story is told from Jazz’s first-person point of view, and it’s such an intersting mind we’re inside of. This whole idea, are we destined to follow in our parents footsteps, or do we create our own lives, was so interesting. Especially coming from Jazz’s perspective. And Lyga doesn’t sugarcoat anything. Some of the thoughts Jazz has are downright disturbing, and yet it really adds a lot of depth to this story, and the development of Jazz’s character.

Lyga created a wonderful main character in Jazz, definitely nothing I’ve ever experienced before. But Lyga also created some amazing secondary characters. I adored Jazz’s best friend, Howie. Howie definitely provides the comic relief, but it’s also really clear that he cares deeply for Jazz, and that Jazz does for Howie. Jazz is very protective of Howie, because Howie’s a hemophiliac. Jazz also has a girlfriend, Connie, who was one awesome lady. She doesn’t take crap from Jazz, and that’s exactly what Jazz needs.

I Hunt Killers kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole audiobook. In fact, I was so engrossed in the audiobook, that on Sunday, I listened to about three hours of the book while I played games on my iPad. The story was very fast paced, and I never wanted to stop the audiobook. There was always something interesting happening. It’s well-paced, though, and we definitely get a chance to digest information Lyga provides. Lyga doesn’t short change the character development for it’s quick pace. I was even a bit surprised at times, which honestly doesn’t happen often.

Since I read this one via audiobook, I should briefly discuss the narrator, Charlie Thurston. Thurston was the perfect narrator for I Hunt Killers. This novel is set in the south, and Thurston used the perfect amount a southern accent to add to the story, but not be too distracting, either. I was completely captivated by his storytelling, and I think I enjoyed I Hunt Killers more as an audiobook than I would have reading the print version.

I Hunt Killers had everything I look for in a mystery, and then some. Lyga created not one, but two terrifying villains, a mystery that actually surprised me, an amazing cart of characters, and one interesting protagonist. If you haven’t read I Hunt Killers, yet, you’re missing out.

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About Quinn

I'm a twenty-something children's librarian at a public library in Central New York. I've long left my teen years behind me, but I love to read YA and children's books.
I have two adorable dogs. Ginger is a mix between a poodle and havanese, and Daphne is Bichon Frise.
Other things I love:
Favorite Movie: Singing in the Rain
Favorite Book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Favorite TV Show: Monk

I think I have to read this one soon. It’s not a book I would normally pick up BUT I bought the eBook a few months ago when there was a huge sale on B&N. I saw the author speak last year and I was really interested in all he had to say (another thing that surprised me since this isn’t my go-to genre). So glad to hear that it was fast paced and you enjoyed it so much. I still haven’t tried reading an audio book but I like how you were multi-tasking 😉